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Another officer, PC Jon Harwood, who waded in up to his chest to help, is to receive one of the Society’s certificates of commendation.

Coate Water Park in Swindon, Wilts (Image: P L Chadwick/Geograph)

In this week’s citation, the society described how the drama unfolded at 10.30pm on August 10 last year.

Police were alerted after the suicidal man, who had taken a quantity of tablets, waded into the lake with the house bricks in his rucksack.

He ignored their shouts and after he sank under the surface in a cloud of bubbles, PC Miller threw off his heavy body armour and went in after him.

Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said “The officer waded to chest depth and grabbed the man’s rucksack straps.

“The man grabbed him, shouting that he would take him with him and submerged again.

“This happened several times before PC Miller managed to get close to the edge and break the man’s grip.”

The man had bricks in his bag (Image: Rex)

PC Harwood, who had been struggling unsuccessfully to undo a throw-line which it turned out was in a pack with a faulty seal, abandoned it and plunged into the water to help PC Miller drag the man to safety.

Mr Wilkinson said “Every second counted during this rescue. The man could easily have achieved his aim if PC Miller had not arrived when he did and had not battled to prevent him from going under.